NO MICRO-MANAGING

John R. Davis, State Director, National Federation of Independent BusinessCHICAGO TRIBUNE

The small-business owners applaud Gov. Edgar`s veto of the Illinois Family Responsibility and Medical Leave Act. By vetoing this unnecessary legislation, Gov. Edgar hasn`t bowed to organized opposition from big business; he has killed a bill that could have hurt employees as well as their employers.

The National Federation of Independent Business recently commissioned the Gallup Organization to survey companies on family leave. The study of nearly 1,000 companies revealed many problems with family leave, including:

-28 percent of the companies that provided this benefit were forced to reduce customer service and make fewer sales calls because they are short-handed;

-20 percent of the companies had to cut back on the amount of business they accepted; and

-80 percent of the companies asked the remaining employees to work extra hours or otherwise cover the worker on leave.

Despite the abuses that occur and the hardships companies face, the majority (94 percent) of our members nationwide provide this benefit voluntarily.

As the state`s largest representative of small business, we are not opposed to family leave. We do oppose, however, lawmakers trying to micro-manage our businesses by making this and other fringe benefits mandatory.